Dark Hunter
by Sapphire-Lynx
Summary: Devilman goes up against a new evil that may rival even Satan's power. With the help of a new ally, will he be able to win? An ongoing fic. Please r+r
1. Prologue

The door to the old mansion smashed to pieces and light shone on a forgotten room. A figure stood silhouetted in the now open doorway. With graceful steps it went into the room, a visible trail on the floor where it walked. A note fluttered on an ancient piano top as a breeze blew through. A small silvery object held it down. The figure picked up the object, examining it a moment before turning to the note.

"Damn." It growled and sped away, leaving the note to fall to the floor. In neat stylish handwriting, the note read:

I shall wait for you in Japan. Find me if you still hunger for my blood.

With Love,

Azieral

The signature was written in blood.


	2. Chapter 1: First Impressions

Akira woke from a sound sleep in his room, trying to figure out what had awakened him so thoroughly. His powerful demon senses scanned the immediate area, looking for the disturbance. Just as he decided that it was nothing, a light thud resounded off the roof. He tensed as tiny scratches reverberated along his hearing. As soon as they started, however, they disappeared and he returned to sleep.

Two bright eyes watched him from outside the window a moment, and then vanished just as quickly as they appeared.

* * *

Akira walked home with Miki the next evening after school like he always did. As they passed the park, he stopped and looked into the park, narrowing his eyes.

"Miki, I just remembered that I forgot one of the books I need in my desk. I really need it for tomorrow's test." He turned and ran back towards the school.

"But—"

"Don't worry, I'll be back in time for dinner!" He called over his shoulder cheerfully. He was soon out of sight.

Miki sighed, "This is the third time in a month that he's done this. I hope he isn't just making excuses to goof off..." She turned and slowly walked home.

High in a tree, Akira watched her walk out of sight. He jumped down and walked into the park after she had disappeared. About a quarter of the way down the path, he turned and trotted into the trees. It was close to sunset when he stopped in a small clearing. For once, his demon side failed to identify the hidden menace he knew was there.

"Whoever's there, come out and face me!" Akira growled, letting his human form slip slightly.

The foliage parted and a humanoid figure emerged. The figure was male with two sets of wings, long golden red hair, and piercing amber eyes.

Amon quavered slightly in the back of Akira's mind and whispered urgently to him.

"Hello Amon. I must say, I am surprised to see you here." The figure looked him up and down and smirked, "And merged with a human to boot."

Akira growled low in his throat, much to his surprise, "Who are you?" Akira asked gruffly, being genuinely curious now.

"Ah, the human is in control." He looked impressed, "Amon won't tell you who I am? I'm hurt… I am called Azieral." He gave a sweeping bow, his wings draping for a dramatic effect.

Akira had relaxed slightly, only wary now. Anything that intimidated his demon half certainly deserved looking into. He studied the male in front of him, "Are you an angel?"

Azieral gave a flash of white teeth, "Yes, I am." He fluttered a set of his wings, "I fought the demons in the war and became stuck on earth. I've been stuck here ever since."

Akira nodded acceptance at his explanation, "Why did you call me here?"

"I did not 'call you', as you say."

"Then who did?" Akira seemed puzzled.

"I do not know; but I was brought here also… perhaps we were lured here for a reason?"

Akira looked around warily, but sensed no demons in the vicinity. He mentally shook himself and turned back to Azieral, "I must be leaving. Good evening to you." He turned and began walking off, ignoring Amon's scream of protest.

"Farewell, until we meet again human!" Azieral gave a slight wave of his hand, watching Akira's departure. As soon as he was certain the young man was gone, he called out into the trees, "You can come out now, Riist. I've known you were there since the hybrid appeared." He sounded bored.

A lithe figure landed on the ground under a nearby tree. She swished her tail and growled low in her throat.

Azieral looked pointedly at her, "You aren't going to attack me; we both know you are nowhere near my strength." He crossed his arms in a relaxed pose.

Riist slowly stood, "How do you know that?"

He grinned rakishly, "Come now, I _am_ an angel. I can sense how strong— or in your case, weak— a person is. I could easily crush you right now."

Riist's ears went flat against her head and she raised a brow, "An 'angel'? If you are an angel, then you must have fallen from His grace."

Azieral shrugged, "Perhaps…" he cocked his head at her, "I was rather surprised to find that you actually followed me all the way here to Japan." He sighed, "And just for revenge…" he shook his head.

She snarled, "What did you expect? You destroyed everyone and everything I ever cared for!" her tail swished wildly.

"Everyone you cared for? Or just a certain person?" he asked slyly. He danced nimbly away as Riist made a wild swing at his head with her claws.

"_Everyone!_" she roared.

Azieral brushed himself off, "Temper temper. There's no need to shout. I can hear you perfectly." He fluffed his wings one more time, "Now then; we can talk like civilized people or we can fight and you and I both know what the outcome of _that_ would be." He looked at her, "Well?"

Riist huffed and plopped down on a stump, "There, happy?"

"Ecstatic." He replied dryly. "I was a little disappointed when you did not try to tackle me in the middle of my conversation with the hybrid."

Riist snorted, "Did you take me for a fool? I am not so easily manipulated into creating enemies I have no need of." She gave him a sleepy look, "Speaking of the hybrid, why _did_ you call him here? You do realize that his demon side will never let you hold sway over him."

Azieral gave her an equally sleepy look, "That is my business. It does not concern you."

"On the contrary, it does concern me; especially if you try to send that creature to kill me." She replied sharply. She examined her claws, "You should not have lied to him, if you are an angel."

He cocked his head at her, "On the contrary, I believe it was _you_ who said that I couldn't possibly be an angel. That I must have fallen from His grace if I am what I claimed to be."

They stared at each other for a moment. Riist sighed, "I could stay and spar with you for hours, but I have pressing business elsewhere. I have just the one question I want answered…"

He gave her a slow smile, "And which one would that be?"

She looked deep into his eyes, "Once again, why did you bring him here?"

He cocked his head to the side and stared back at her with half lidded eyes, "Once again, I will tell you; that is my own business." He turned and walked into the trees from whence he appeared. A moment later, Riist heard the sound of flight off in the distance.

She sighed to herself and shook her head, "Why do I even bother?" she turned and walked off, leaving the small clearing to appear as it was before.

* * *

Akira went out to meet with Ryo at his apartment the next day after school. He knocked on the door and waited until Ryo called for him to come in. As he walked in, his best friend crossed his arms.

"You're late." Ryo commented.

"Sorry about that. One of my classmates needed to talk to me." Akira apologized, sitting in a chair across from him.

"Your classmates never need to talk to you. Was it Miki again?" Ryo asked, staring unnervingly at Akira. Akira squirmed a little in his seat. Ryo sighed, "I told you that girl is nothing but trouble. The only thing she's good for is demon bait."

Akira bristled, "Now wait just a minute there, Ryo. That's my girlfriend you're talking about killing so casually like that."

"And I still think you should keep your mind on demon slaying instead of your social life." Ryo lay back in his seat.

"So what, I'm supposed to become a recluse like you? Obsessing over the war with the demons?" Akira shot back, angry with Ryo for being himself and angry with himself for rising to his remarks.

Ryo blinked, "What's got you so riled up?"

Akira sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "I guess I'm still a little edgy over this whole thing. Meeting that angel yesterday didn't help either." He said, more to himself than to Ryo.

Ryo shot forward in his chair, "What angel? You never told me anything about meeting an angel." He seemed a bit irked about Akira not reporting to him immediately after the encounter.

"What? Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you. As I was walking past the park after school, I sensed something. I went in to investigate and ran into an angel named Azieral. He said that he had been stuck on earth since the war with the demons and angels ended."

Ryo snorted, "There's no way God could have forgotten one of his warriors on Earth unless it was intentional." He waved off the explanation.

"How do you know? There's still the possibility that it could have happened." Akira insisted.

"Besides, I thought you could only sense other demons with your powers."

Akira became thoughtful, "That's something I wanted to speak with you about… Amon hates Azieral with a passion. He kept on telling me to transform and attack him. It also seemed like he was trying to hide something from me while I was speaking with Azieral." He looked at his best friend, "Ryo, I think Amon knows that angel from somewhere; and I think they might have been on the same side at one time."

Ryo began to show some interest in the matter, "Are you telling me that there could have been another exiled angel like Satan?" he rubbed his chin, "I would like to meet this 'angel' for myself if I could…" he shook his head, "Anyway, back to business. I have another demon sighting for you. This last one was seen over by the college. It ate three students and one of the staff already. All four of its victims are supposed to be on vacation this week until the end of the month."

"When do I leave?"

"Tonight."

* * *

Jade sighed audibly as she walked into her apartment, tossing her coat onto the back of a chair on the way in. "Today has been too long for my tastes…" she made a face.

She went into the kitchen and got herself a coke from the fridge. She flopped onto the couch and glanced at her answering machine. The light was flashing, signaling a message. She leaned over and pressed the button.

"_Hey girl, this is Leya. Just calling to see how you're doin'… So, you track down that angel-wannabe yet? I hope so cause you really need to kick his ass for me. Anyway, have fun and don't take all the cute guys for yourself. I might end up joining you after school lets out (_Jade snorted at this remark_). I'll talk to you later, ciao._"

Jade checked the time on the answering machine. It read 11:00 AM. Jade shook her head; trust Leya to forget about the fourteen-hour time difference. _She must have just gotten off work_, Jade thought to herself with a grin. Her grin faded as she remembered the other part of Leya's message. Azieral, the 'angel-wannabe' as Leya so aptly put it, was still loose in the city. A city infested with demons. Demons that could hinder or help her quest for vengeance.

She shivered as she remembered the slaughter of her family and neighbors at the hands of demons. And at their head was Azieral, the creature she once thought of as beautiful.

She thought back to her first meeting of the awful entity known as Azieral.

_She was walking through the woods on a warm, spring day. For once, the ground was only springy and not squishy with past rainfall. She went deeper than she usually did and stumbled upon a clearing with a small creek spilling into a pond in the center. There were many rocks on which one could sunbathe. She smiled in delight and took the heavy pack off her shoulders to rummage for her lunch and sketchpad._

_Suddenly, she heard a slight sound from one of the larger rocks. She looked up to a silhouette of an angel touching down onto the rocks. His red hair streamed behind him as he gracefully landed._

_"Hello…" he said to her._

_Her heart fluttered slightly as she stared at the beautiful creature. She swallowed convulsively._

_He gave a wry chuckle, "Can you speak or have you been struck silent by my presence?" he teased lightly._

_She shook her head and finally found her voice, "H-hello…" she began hesitantly._

_He sat down on the rocks and folded his wings modestly around him; he beckoned her over, "Come sit with me a moment."_

_She walked over to him and sat beside him, being careful not to touch him. She glanced over at him and accidentally caught his eye. She felt herself being drawn into his liquid amber eyes. The sensation was wonderful; she never wanted it to end—_

_Then he turned his head and she came back to her senses. "So, what is a pretty kitty like you doing out here so far from civilization?" he asked her._

_She blinked, "What do you mean, 'pretty kitty'?"_

_He looked at her again, "Did you not know that you were one of the gifted humans? You are able to change your form at will from a human to a feline creature." He looked at the spillway, "Thus, I called you what you are, a 'pretty kitty'."_

_Her heart began to pound, _He thinks I'm pretty_, she thought to herself wildly._

_They sat there for a long time, neither one speaking. Lunchtime came and went and it wasn't until her stomach complained that Jade was shaken out of her reverie. The angel laughed, "I'm sorry, I have forgotten how humans need to refuel their bodies by eating." He waved her over to her lunch, "Please, go ahead and eat."_

_Jade walked over to her pack and took a sandwich out and, as an after thought, took another one out for the angel. She offered it to him, "Would you like to try a salami and Swiss sandwich?"_

_He graciously declined, "No, thank you. I have no need of sustenance other than the air and sunlight."_

_She nodded and sat back down beside him with her meal and took a bite of her pastrami sandwich. She looked thoughtfully at the angel, "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"_

_He smiled at her, "My name is Azieral."_

_"That's a beautiful name. Azieral…" she tested it on her own tongue. _

_"Now that you know my name, may I ask you for yours?"_

_"My full name is Jade Samantha Riist." She told him._

_"A lovely name for a beautiful young lady." He complemented._

_Jade blushed and turned away so he could not see her face. "Can you teach me to transform myself?" she asked, quickly changing the subject._

_"Yes, but it won't be easy. You must let go of the part of you that makes you human; your sense of reason." He looked at her seriously. "Only when you are at the mercy of your animal instincts can you transform for the first time."_

_Jade shivered in the warm sunlight, giving up part of her humanity was not something she was ready to do._

_He looked back at the pond, "You don't have to do this if you aren't ready, Jade."_

_She nodded nervously, "Will you be here tomorrow?"_

_"There's a good possibility that I will visit this place tomorrow."_

_"Okay, I'll think on this and give you my answer tomorrow. Is that alright?" She asked a little timidly._

_"That's fine." He stood, "Now, I must be leaving. I shall see you tomorrow at around this time, okay?"_

"Okay."

_There was no meeting at the beautiful clearing the next day, however. She had hurried to meet her angel and waited for an hour for his arrival. She had finally given up as it began to get dark and, dejectedly, walked slowly back the way she had come. Halfway home, she smelled the scent of burning flesh and ran the rest of the way back._

_The scene that greeted her was horrible. Her small home was in flames and there were ugly creatures that she had never seen before grabbing up people and devouring them. She could hear the screams of the dying and the laughter of the monsters. Her mind went numb at the chaos surrounding her, refusing to believe what her eyes told her._

_Then she saw him. He was at their center, laughing along with them. At first she didn't want to believe that it was her angel with the bloody wings and the long banner of red hair. But then he turned and looked at her with his molten amber eyes. The eyes she no longer thought of as beautiful. He smiled at her and gestured mockingly for her to join him._

_Her mind almost shut down completely at that moment. All she could see was Azieral and the fire behind him. She screamed in rage, it sounded hollow in her own ears. She crouched down and sped towards her now hated enemy. She left a trail of blood and gore that would have left the bloodiest murderer shaken. Her mind could only register that sinister, mocking look of—something, she couldn't remember anymore. All she could see were his eyes. The eyes that she wanted to claw out and destroy._

That was the first time she had transformed. Azieral had taught her most effectively. By using the most effective way to destroy a person's reasoning, destroying their family.


	3. Chapter 2: A New Evil

Akira flew over to the college after the Macaimuras had gone to bed that night. His demon senses pinpointed the demon immediately after he had gotten to the campus. They also found some other presence that he recognized even before Azieral stepped out of the shadows.

"We really must stop meeting like this, don't you think Amon?" he stated casually as he walked towards him.

Akira warily stepped back a pace, "What do you want, Azieral?"

"I want nothing but to finish my business here and be off. I have no intentions of fighting you nor of causing trouble to the people here." He shrugged, "I am only waiting on someone."

"Good. I also have no intention of fighting you. I am only here to destroy a demon and then, we can part ways." Akira turned to take off.

"Wait. I believe you might find the coming visitor interesting." Azieral smiled secretively.

Akira folded his wings into his back and crossed his arms, "Alright, I'll wait with you."

They waited for ten minutes, Akira eyeing him warily. Just as he was becoming restless, he saw a shadow dart away out of the corner of his eye. He dropped his arms and took up a fighting stance. He extended his senses as far as they would go, trying to sense what the shadow was. Azieral calmly waited, not even registering the moving shadow.

It darted to a position directly behind Azieral and crouched. Akira could sense that it hesitated, unsure of his allegiance. He returned to his waiting position and carefully moved away from the angel, signaling that he was indifferent to Azieral's fate. Azieral looked at him amusedly.

"You can come out of hiding now, Riist. I already knew you were coming. There's no need to be frightened of my friend here. He won't bite… without good cause, I'm sure." He called over his shoulder, not bothering to look back.

The figure paused a moment longer and slowly stood. Akira could make out that whatever gender the figure was, it was slender and feline. He was puzzled that his demon senses still could not pinpoint what his eyes told him was there. It slowly walked out into the moonlight. Akira caught his breath, he could see now that the creature was female. She was covered in short thick fur, the fur being longer on the more delicate parts of her anatomy. Her waist length mane of hair was dark and her eyes glowed in the dim lighting. What made Akira catch his breath was not her beauty, however, it was the look of pure animal rage that covered her face.

"Azieral, you will pay for what you've done to me." She growled.

"Done to you? I merely helped your transformation along to its completion." He turned and looked at her. "And I must say, that form suits you so well."

She snarled and swiped at him. Akira watched their antics with interest.

Azieral yawned and stepped out of her reach, "This is really getting old." He clapped his hands and called out in a bored voice, "Kairnos come forth; I have a job for you."

Out of the shadows stepped a large demon that resembled a genetic reject from an old horror film. Its oversized head and trailing arms made it look almost comical as they dragged along behind it. It kneeled behind Azieral. "What would you have me do, my lord?"

"Take care of the hybrid and feline. I don't care what you do after you're done." Azieral turned away and walked off.

The demon smiled, "My pleasure…" it purred, turning to Akira and Riist. They took up fighting stances. Kairnos grinned ferally at Akira, "Amon, long time no see. How low the mighty have fallen, overpowered by a lowly human boy." It sneered.

"Cut the crap, Kairnos. You know you were never even powerful enough to catch my interest. What makes you think I won't wipe the dirt with your carcass now?" Akira growled impatiently.

"Maybe I'll have a chance to make you eat your words; now that I have joined a force stronger than Satan and you are merged with that human whelp." It gloated.

Akira gave a toothy grin, "That's what Siren thought too; until I shoved her own claw down her throat."

Kairnos got a stony look on his face, "We'll see, Amon."

Akira transformed fully, "Yes Kairnos, we'll see. Oh, and by the way, Amon is long gone; call me Devilman." He shot towards the demon faster than the eye could see and shoved a fist through the middle of Kairnos' torso.

Kairnos gurgled in surprise at Akira's speed, "You've gotten… pretty fast … for being… merged to… a…. hu…man…" Kairnos commented haltingly as he gave a bloody sigh and slid to the ground.

"Tsk." Akira said contemptuously, wiping his bloody hand on Kairnos' short velvet fur. "Not all demons weaken when they merge with humans." He said to the dead demon.

Riist stood stiffly behind him, her tail lashing furiously behind her. "What are you?" she asked, a little horrified at the casual way he just destroyed a life, however evil the soul might be.

He turned and looked at her, "I am the product of a merge between a pure hearted human and one of the most powerful demons in existence." He stood to his full height and studied her, "What are you?"

Riist sat against a building, "I used to know; now I'm not so sure." She looked at him through feline eyes. "According to all the myths and legends I've ever read or heard, I'm a lycanthrope. Or something like it" she shrugged, "I suppose that's what I am now."

He studied her for a moment, "How did it happen; the transformation, I mean."

Riist closed her eyes, a tear trailed down her face. "It happened after the first time I met Azieral…" she told him everything, from her feelings for the angel to the betrayal she felt as he slaughtered her family. "I didn't even realize what I had done until I woke in the ruin of my house with torn clothes and covered in blood. I was sickened by the carnage that surrounded me; but I was even more appalled by the state I found myself in. I had to get out of there, or else I would have lost what little sanity was left to me." She shivered and hugged herself with the memory of those first few nightmarish days.

Akira bowed his own head at the memory of his own first transformation. "You are lucky; all you killed were demons. During my first transformation, I had gone into a frenzy and killed mercilessly, regardless of whether or not they were demon." He looked at her with sad eyes, "I almost killed my best friend."

Riist looked at him in disbelief, "You almost killed your best friend?!"

"Yes…" he closed his eyes and sighed, shaking out of his dark mood. He looked at her, "Speaking of my best friend, would you like to meet him?"

"Um, sure. I need to get a change of clothes, though." She looked down at her rags. "These have kind of had it."

"Of course. I'll need a change of clothes too, but I won't have to go home for it. I keep a spare outfit at Ryo's." he explained.

"Alright then; we'll run by my place and then on to your friend's."

Akira knocked lightly on the apartment door an hour later, waiting for an answering call. The door opened and Ryo peeked through the crack, and then swung the door open more.

"Who's that with you, Akira?" he asked as he let them in.

"Ryo, this is Riist; Riist, meet my best friend Ryo. He's been with me since the beginning." Akira introduced.

Riist bowed her head slightly, "Pleased to meet you, Ryo."

"Likewise… Akira, why did you bring her here, and how much does she know?" he asked, ignoring Riist and fiddling with something under his trench coat.

"I met her while I was out hunting that demon. She knows Azieral personally, Ryo." He explained hurriedly.

Riist flared her nostrils; she sensed something odd in the room besides Akira. She cocked her head, "Tell me something, Ryo. Have you ever met an angel before?"

He looked over at her in annoyance, "Obviously not. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so interested in Azieral."

"Alright; well, do you keep trophies of the demons you kill?" she persisted.

"No! What makes you believe I would even go out and kill demons in the first place?" he argued.

She gave him a pointed look, "Well let's see; you look like you're about ready to leave, you have a gun under your coat, you know a demon hybrid, and plus, the smell of demon is all over your apartment; and I know it isn't Akira." She said, ticking off each point on a finger.

Ryo looked sharply at her and she looked innocently back at him. He turned back to Akira, "Are you certain she isn't a demon?"

"Yes…" Akira looked apprehensive, "She's a lycanthrope, though."

"… Which explains that annoying little sixth sense of hers." He grumbled under his breath. She perked up slightly. He caught the move out of the corner of his eye and muttered a little under his breath. He turned back to Akira, "What animal is she?" he asked sharply.

"…A cat…" he mumbled uncomfortably.

"A. Cat…"

Akira nodded.

Ryo flopped onto a chair, "Well, that explains a lot." He blew forcefully out his mouth, "Of all the lycanthrope species in the world, why a cat?" he complained, looking imploringly up at the ceiling.

Akira blinked as Riist tried not to laugh, "You mean you've run into a lycanthrope before?"

Ryo looked viciously at him, "Oh, yes. A male lycanthrope feline almost ate my dog. It was only because my father was studying it in the lab at the house that it wasn't killed outright by the neighbors." He explained nastily to Akira.

Riist began to puff out, even though she was in her human form, "You speak of lycanthropes as if they were afflicted with an incurable disease or something."

He looked over at her in amusement, "Oh, but they _are_ afflicted with an incurable disease. That's why there are so few purebreds left, or even ones strong enough to transform."

Riist shivered inconspicuously, reminded of how Azieral spoke to her in almost the exact same tone. The only word lacking in this young human's vocabulary was calling her dear. If he did that, she couldn't be held responsible for her own actions.

"Ryo! You could stand to be a little nicer to her; it isn't her fault she was born a lycanthrope." Akira scolded.

Ryo looked over at him, "You have definitely been hanging around Miki too long; you're starting to sound like her."

Riist stood up, "I don't have to take this kind of shit from some kid barely out of high school. I'm outta here." She looked over at Akira and smiled, "It was nice meeting you, Akira. I hope we meet again under better circumstances. Good bye." She gave Ryo a hard look, turned and walked out, not quite slamming the door behind her.

"Great, there goes our best lead to Azieral." Ryo threw his hands up in the air in irritation. Akira looked at him disbelievingly.

"What has gotten into you, Ryo?! Usually, you're as cool as ice in winter."

Ryo rubbed his temples with a hand, "I don't know; I haven't been sleeping well in the past few days."

Akira sat on the couch, "You want to talk about it?"

Ryo peeked at him from under his bangs, "No, it's not something you should concern yourself with."

Akira looked doubtfully at him, "Okay, if you say so…"

Ryo ran a hand through his light blond hair, "So how did the hunt go?" he asked.

"Fine, I guess; I ran into Azieral again tonight. It seems he was the one controlling that demon at the college."

Ryo smirked at him, "So, he's finally shown his true colors."

Akira nodded, "The demon I killed tonight was saying that Azieral is more powerful than Satan."

"If that's the case, we may have more of a problem on our hands than we originally believed." Ryo mused, rubbing his chin.

Riist threw herself onto her couch, "Stupid boy. He has no idea what he's up against." She growled out. She glanced over at her answering machine, noticing that there was another message waiting to be heard. She sighed, trying to calm herself enough to not destroy her telephone. She lightly tapped the play button.

_"Hey Jade, this is Leya again. Guess what? I was able to get a ticket to Japan finally! I'm coming over to help you!_

_"My plane is leaving in the morning so I should be there in a day or so. I'll call you from the airport as soon as I'm allowed to use my cell. Keep your beeper handy for the next couple of days. See ya when I get there!"_

Riist groaned. Great, now her best friend was going to try and get into the thick of things; something she was not even _remotely_ prepared for. It looked like she would have to ask those two boys for help, regardless of how she felt about the blond brat.

"Why me?!" she said imploringly to the ceiling. There was no answer, but she swore that the 'Powers That Be' were laughing at her right about now.

Azieral gazed out over the rooftops of modern Tokyo. The wind whipped his hair around him wildly as he sensed his current plaything's mood swing from rage to dismay. He could almost read her thoughts, he was so in tuned with her psyche. At this moment, she had just been given some news about her friend that she did not appreciate at the moment. He smiled to himself; her thought patterns were so easy to read.

He was not out to listen to her private thoughts, however, that was just a bonus. He had felt that she had sensed something from around the hybrid; something she was not certain of but he was. The demon hybrid was close to his true quarry.

"…Satan…" he whispered on the winds.

He had waited centuries for him to appear; toying with the creatures bound to the Mortal Realm. He enlisted in the talents of the lycanthropes more often than not, for they were easily manipulated and almost as tough as demon hybrids. This one he used now was no different from the ones he had used in the years past. He would reward her soon for finding the one he had sought for so long, as soon as she showed him the way to where he was hiding.

There was only one problem to capturing Satan; he had protected himself, however unintentionally, with the most powerful demon hybrid Azieral had seen in centuries. Perhaps the most powerful demon hybrid ever created. It was not the power of the hybrid that daunted him, however, it was the loyalty that he showed to Satan through his human form's friendship. The 'Devilman' would do anything for him; except kill the girl he was fond of…

Azieral smiled to himself. Yes, the girl was the one weakness in their bond; the link that would snap under the right pressure. Azieral gave a malicious chuckle, "Oh, Satan; you have made it too easy for me to plot your demise." He dove off the rooftop he was standing on and flew off into the night, gathering demons as he passed overhead.


	4. Chapter 3: Allies

Jade checked her watch and sighed. She was at the airport waiting for Leya's plane to unload. Leya had called her about half an hour ago saying that her plane would land at around seven o'clock… and then they had run into interference on the plane so she had hung up. She was flying on a small commercial plane owned by a company she had never heard of. She looked out the window again to see if they had started the docking procedures yet.

"Why couldn't she have done what I told her to do and stayed home where it was safe? Or at least waited until I had given the all clear…" she sighed mournfully, "I should never have told her I was coming to Japan."

Ten minutes later, the flight attendant announced that flight A09 had landed and they were letting passengers unload. Jade fiddled with her keys again and blew a strand of hair out of her face for the twentieth time in the last few minutes. She checked her watch again and looked over at the gate. She sighed as she watched the older couples and children disembark from the plane. She sat down on the windowsill and closed her eyes, fully intending to take a little 'cat nap' (sorry, couldn't help myself ^ ^;) before Leya was off the plane.

Unfortunately, just as she was actually beginning to nod off, she heard a loud "Hey Girl!" being yelled in her direction. She gave a huge sigh and opened her eyes. Leya waved from the end of the line and trotted over to her. "Sorry I'm late. There were some technical difficulties or something like that."

Jade eyed her best friend, "Why didn't you stay home like I told you to?"

"It was getting boring… and besides, we all know how well I follow instructions." She grinned.

"About as well as a cow flies." Jade snorted.

"Precisely." Leya looked around the terminal, "I need to go get my bag from downstairs; and then we can go get something to eat." She walked off towards the escalator.

"Oh, Leya…" Jade called in a singsong tone.

"Oh, whatta…" she sang back, turning to Jade.

"Luggage pickup is this way." She hiked her thumb behind her towards the exit.

"Oh." She turned around and followed Jade to the pick up line. She looked around, "This airport is kind of backwards, isn't it?"

"Not really; they're just different from what you're used to. They're baggage things are in the front so that you can get your stuff and get out of the way of everyone else who's boarding."

"…Oh."

They waited for Leya's luggage to come around on the conveyor. As it came up, Jade's eyebrow went up at the size of it. It was roughly the size of an army duffel bag and looked filled to the brim with only one or two things.

"Here it is!" Leya said cheerfully as she bent to pull it off the conveyor belt. It fell with a clatter onto the thinly carpeted floor.

"What do you have in there, rocks? Or maybe boulders is more appropriate." Jade asked.

"Not telling! It's a surprise. I'll tell you when we get in the car." Leya winked. "And besides, it only _looks_ heavy."

"Oh Lord." Jade said, looking heavenward. She dropped her head and shook it, "Why do I always get stuck with the weirdoes?"

Leya patted her shoulder, "Because you're special." She said sweetly. She turned and walked away with her unwieldy luggage.

Jade grumbled a few choice words under her breath and ran to catch up with Leya before her goofy friend tried to get into the wrong car.

"Man, that was the best restaurant I've ever been to. We should go there tomorrow for lunch." Leya patted her stomach in appreciation.

Jade grinned, "Glad you liked it, that's first restaurant I went to when I got here. They always have the best sushi." She licked her lips appreciatively.

Leya gave her friend a sly look, "Is that _you_ talking or _Riist_?"

Jade waved her hand and got into the car, "That is irrelevant; Riist and I are the same person."

"Alright, whatever you say…" Leya giggled, hopping into the front passenger seat.

Jade started the car, "So… what's in that huge bag of yours?"

"A little something special for any demons that cross my path…" Leya gave a devious smile.

Jade raised an eyebrow, "Oh…?" she asked, waiting for her to elaborate.

"I'll show you at your apartment; it's really too big to show you in the car."

"Hmph." Jade grunted, returning her attention to the road. "By the way, I have to make a stop at an acquaintance's place before we go home."

"Okay." Leya said, curiosity getting the better of her, "Who?"

Jade, imitating Leya's earlier move, winked, "Now that's _my_ little secret."

Leya flung herself hard against the back of the seat and sulked, ignoring Jade's amused expression.

Ryo looked out the peephole of his apartment to see who was at his door this late in the evening, knowing that Akira was in his kitchen getting a snack. He gave an annoyed sigh and ignored the two girls outside his door in favor of joining Akira in the kitchen.

"Who's at the door, Ryo?" Akira asked as he swallowed the fruit he was chewing.

"It's no one." He said sharply.

Another knock, this time louder than the first, sounded in the room. Ryo ignored it and began to calmly slice an apple into quarters. Akira looked over at the door with a worried frown. There was a pause and then there was a slam that nearly cracked the door.

"I know you're there, Ryo! Let me in!" a muffled, exasperated female voice called from the hall. "Let me in or I'll break this damn door in two!" said female voice shouted, accompanied by another hard slam.

"Ryo! That's Riist!" Akira exclaimed.

Ryo looked up from his apple slicing, "Yes, I know…" he said calmly.

"Well, aren't you going to let her in?!"

"No."

Akira stood and glared at his childhood friend, "Well, I am."

Ryo set his knife down with exaggerated care and looked at Akira, "Remember who's home this is, Akira Fudo."

Akira stared at him for a moment, then turned and deliberately made for the door, "If I _don't_ let her in, she's going to break down your door."

Ryo went back to the task of cleaning and eating his apple, "Fine. But she isn't staying long."

Akira opened the door just as Riist was beginning to run at it to knock it down. She skidded to a stop, standing stiffly in front of him. Another girl peeked out from behind her curiously.

"Hello, Riist." He said courteously.

"Akira." Riist nodded in greeting. She took a deep breath and visibly tried to relax. "May we come in?"

Akira looked towards Ryo. Ryo gave a half shrug. "Sure." He opened the door wider.

Riist walked gracefully in with the other girl behind her. She stopped in the middle of the room and looked at the two boys, "Akira, Ryo, I'd like you to meet Leya. Leya, this is Ryo and Akira." She introduced. Akira bowed slightly at Leya and she did the same. Ryo ignored them.

After introductions, Riist looked seriously over at Akira. "Akira, I need to ask a favor of you."

"What would that be?" he asked easily, looking over at Leya as she tried to start a conversation with Ryo.

"Leya was not supposed to come here… with the multitude of demons in the area, there's a great possibility that she could be killed. She's absolutely fearless, but she's only human and I'm afraid that Azieral might find out about her being here and use it to his advantage…" she paced a bit in the small room, "I was wondering if you could help me defeat Azieral before he can use her to get at me."

He nodded, "I'll try my best to help you; but remember, I have my own mission that needs to be accomplished. I can't guarantee that I'll be of much help to you in your time of need."

Riist sat down, "I understand. If there is any way that I can help you in your cause, you have just to call on me. I have a feeling that we will be bumping into each other much during my stay here." She smiled up at him.

"Jade!" Leya whined, walking over and plopping down on the couch beside her. She laid her head on Riist's shoulder. "I can't get Ryo to talk to me…!" she finished, clearly pouting.

Riist patted her head, "It'll be alright, he always does that." She turned her head and whispered in Leya's ear, "Personally, I think he has a phobia of beautiful young ladies." She grinned mischievously.

Leya giggled and glanced over at the sullen Ryo, "Is that a fact?" she asked conspiratorially.

"What are you two giggling about?" Akira asked, cocking his head in puzzlement.

Riist and Leya both waved a hand at him, "It's a girl thing—"

"Don't worry about it—" they began at the same time. They both stopped and looked at each other, and then began to giggle again.

"We've really got to stop doing that." Riist said, grinning in amusement.

Ryo decided to enter the conversation at that point. "Why did she look over at me? Am I to assume that I was the butt end of some private joke?" he folded his hands in front of him on propped elbows and set his head on them.

"Would you be upset if you were?" Leya asked coyly.

Ryo grunted, "Not likely."

Riist smirked at Leya, "See what I mean?"

Leya hunched her shoulders and giggled again.

Akira gave a lop-sided grin, "I think I know what you two were talking about… and no, that's just the way Ryo is. He doesn't have much faith in the opposite sex for some reason." He leaned in closer to Riist, "That _is_ what you were talking about, isn't it?"

Riist crossed her arms and looked away, "I liked _my_ theory better."

Leya looked up from her giggle spree for a moment, "I liked your theory better, too." She looked over her shoulder at Ryo, "It's really too bad… he's kinda cute."

Ryo's eyebrows shot up at the sudden turn of the conversation. He opened his mouth a moment, and then shut it, deciding to refrain from commenting.

Riist looked flabbergasted at her friend a moment and turned to Akira to see his opinion of this comment. He had a dumbfounded look on his face that matched how she felt. She turned back to Leya's innocent expression, "You're not serious, are you?"

Leya looked pointedly at Riist, "Have I ever kidded you about a guy before?"

Riist busted out laughing, "You got me there." She grinned, wiping her eyes.

Akira chuckled a little, "You girls are so weird. Where did you say you were from?"

"The United States." Leya supplied helpfully.

Akira looked confusedly at Leya, "Where?"

"Oh! You probably don't speak much English, do you?" Leya continued… in English.

Riist shook her head at Leya and turned to answer Akira—

"She said they're Americans." Ryo said to Akira. He looked at his best friend, "You haven't been studying your English too much, haven't you?"

Akira had the grace to look embarrassed, "I haven't really had the _time_ to study it very much… although I _did_ understand the word 'cute'." He said, using the English word for it.

Riist grinned, "I think _anyone_ would know that word in _any_ language..."

Ryo brought a seat from the kitchen over and sat down, supporting his head on his hands. He looked at Riist, "How long have you known Azieral?" he asked her, changing the subject quickly.

"I've known him for almost four years now." Her face darkened, "He was the one who killed my family."

"What can you tell us about him? Anything that might help us track him down?" he persisted.

"Just look for his mob of demons… all of the demons in a hundred mile radius will be attracted to his power." She paused and studied him, "Why are you so interested in him?"

"That is none of your business." Ryo growled, scowling at her darkly.

Riist shrugged, "Fine. But if you find him before I do… he's mine." She gave him a feline stare.

Leya sighed, "Jade… how did you get him to talk to you so easily? When I tried, it was like talking to a rock!" she pouted, sticking her lower lip out.

Ryo glanced over at her and smiled mockingly, "That's because you don't have anything that interests me."

Leya raised an eyebrow and put a hand over her heart, "My God! It's a Miracle! Ryo spoke to me in English!" she announced breathlessly. She put her hands on her hips, "And what do you mean I don't have anything that interests you? Are you a homo or something?"

Riist put a hand over her mouth, trying to squelch the laugh that was threatening to burst from her lips. Ryo glared at her.

"One peep from you and your guts will hang on my wall as fiddle strings." He growled, switching back to Japanese.

Riist put on an innocent look and she pretended to zip her lip, lock it, and throw away the key. She still had a small smile on her face, however.

Ryo looked over at his clock and then turned back to his uninvited guests. "It's late. You should be going home now." He showed them to the door, "I enjoyed our little chat. We must do this again sometime." He replied dryly.

"I enjoyed it too, but you are correct. We must be leaving so that Leya can settle into her new life. Perhaps we can have tea together at the local café." She bowed and left, dragging Leya away.

Ryo closed the door with a sigh and turned back to Akira. "I never want to see those two American girls in my home again." He stated to Akira with deadly calm.

"What did the other girl… Leya? …Say to you at the end there?" Akira asked, genuinely curious.

Ryo scowled, "She accused me of being a homosexual." He snapped, glaring accusingly at his best friend for letting them in in the first place.

Akira chuckled, "You can't really blame her; she was disappointed that you didn't give much of a conversation."

Ryo narrowed his eyes, "_You_ will be next if you don't start shaping up yourself." He said, pointing at him.

"Leya I can't believe that you were so rude to that boy!" Jade scolded, continuing to drag her friend downstairs to the car.

"I was only rude to him because he was rude to me first." She stated matter of factly. "And besides, I didn't see you defending him."

"The Japanese are a very polite people. What you just did is the equivalent of giving a deadly insult. I'm surprised he didn't shoot you with his shotgun." She glanced at Leya, "Didn't you read any of those Japanese grammar books that I gave you?"

"Not really… they were too confusing for me. Anyways, how were you able to learn the language in such a short time?"

"I have enhanced senses, remember? That also includes expanded brainpower. Besides, I have been studying the language for years now, even before Azieral showed up and slaughtered everyone. Him coming to Japan was the perfect excuse to use my knowledge of the language."

"Oh… well, can you teach _me_ the language? You'll probably make more sense to me than those books were." Leya thought back to something Jade said earlier, "Wait a minute, he has a shotgun?! What's he do in his spare time? Go hunting or something?"

Jade smiled wryly at her, "Something like that; he and Akira are demon hunters. And to answer your earlier question, I'll teach you. You're more of a verbal learner anyways, right."

"Something like that." Leya looked over at Jade and grinned.

Back at her apartment, Jade showed Leya around her 'home away from home' and gave her the spare bedroom.

"I'm amazed." Leya commented, clearly impressed. "I didn't think you could _afford_ an apartment like this!" she bounced onto the bed with her large bag.

"You'd be surprised at what kind of concessions you can find living near a campus; especially one riddled with demons." Jade said, beginning to put Leya's clothes on hangers in the small closet.

"I guess it's a good thing I brought this baby along then…" she patted the oversized bag beside her.

"That reminds me, you still haven't told me what's in there." Jade pointed out, looking over at Leya.

Leya gave an evil giggle, "It's the latest little gadget I've made for my protection… and it works, too!" she unzipped the bag and began to pull out… the weirdest machine Jade had ever seen.

Jade cocked her head in puzzlement, "…Uh, what is it…?"

Leya patted it fondly, "This little beauty is my _DemonX2K_. It's a robot that I've built that comes equipped with all sorts of little goodies that can destroy a demon with one blow." She pressed a button on the side of the machine. "I can control it with my voice or with a remote from a safe distance. Its night vision is way better than any demons that I've come across!"

Jade watched as the robot, now the size of a medium dog, unfolded itself and stood on the floor. It resembled a rather large praying mantis with a lavender visor instead of eyes. The wings on its back were connected to a small, but powerful, jet pack that also doubled as an ammo pack for whatever projectiles it used; it wasn't apparent at a glance. The mantis fanned its wings before looking at Jade.

"I must say I'm impressed… I've got to ask you though, where did you get that metal from?" She asked, looking at the gleaming black metal.

Leya pulled out a small remote box and began to adjust the settings, "Do you remember my dad working at the plant before he retired?"

Jade nodded, transfixed by the robot's gleaming visor.

"After he retired, he began working on some new ways to strengthen metal they refined there. He came up with a few samples that were very strong, but too heavy to use on more than foundations. His last experiment left him with a metal that was like obsidian, but almost as light as aluminum. Since it scorched black in the making, he decided to call it Dark Aluminum." She gave a lop-sided grin, "Not very original, was it?"

Jade looked at her friend and smiled, shaking her head, "No, not really."

"After having so much success with his last sample, he asked the guys at the plant for a few bars of metal and began reproducing it; but he never sold it because he wasn't sure if it was going to stay stable. I decided to use some of it for Killer here." She said, pointing her chin at the robot.

"_'Killer'?_" Jade asked, raising her eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh, that's what I've been calling _DX2K_." she looked fondly at the robot, "He's my baby."

"Orders." The robot chirped in a metallic voice.

Jade jumped, "It talked!" she squeaked.

"Tsk, you honestly don't think I would make a robot that _doesn't speak_ do you?" Leya snorted. "Of course it talks! It can go fetch me a pizza if I wanted it to!" she added, pressing a button on the remote. The robot paused its quiet whirring and slowly folded up again. The end result made it look like a frame for a small go‑kart.

Jade was silent for a moment, then she looked at Leya, "So you've tried it in battle already?"

Leya looked down at the folded robot, "…Yeah." She picked it up and set it back in the bag. She put the bag in the corner of the room beside the closet.

Jade looked back over at the bag, then back at Leya, "You might want to see if you can make a couple more of those robots." She warned.


	5. Chapter 4: Interlude

In a remote part of Tokyo, a man with long red hair and wearing a long white overcoat walked slowly down the street. He didn't look very exceptional apart from his unusually long hair, which nearly dragged along the ground. It was dark, going on three AM. Behind the man, strange moving shadows followed in his wake. As he walked under a streetlight, one of the shadows was revealed. It was a large demon that took the form of a reptilian with fur going all the way down its back. It had no legs and slithered along the ground like a serpent. Two powerful arms helped it to crawl alongside the man.

The man seemed to take no heed to the dark creatures that followed him. Indeed, he seemed to welcome the vile beings. One creature, bolder than the rest, crept up to him. "Master," it spoke, "Shall we wreak havoc on these pitiful mortals tonight?" it seemed eager to cause mayhem; the other demons growled or hissed in agreement.

"No." the man said, "Return to your dens and wait for my call."

The demon bowed and quickly slunk away. The other demons grumbled to themselves, but they too moved away.

The man paused to watch their retreat and, as the last one crept away, looked up at the starless sky and smiled, "Soon.

Jade sat on the roof of her apartment building, thinking about the recent turn of events. She knew for a fact that the blond boy was hiding something from everyone; but she wasn't able to pin it to anything more than vague feelings of uneasiness while she was in her human form. She sighed and looked up at the distant stars and full moon. It had been a while since she was able to stargaze like this without being interrupted by a demon. She heard movement in her apartment and a moment later the balcony door slid opened.

"Jade?" Leya called softly into the night. She looked around at the rooftops in front of her. "Are you out here?" there was a thump behind her as Jade jumped off the roof onto the balcony. Leya turned to her, "There you are. Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to a club or something tonight."

Jade raised an eyebrow and half frowned, "It's nearly three in the morning; there's nothing going on right now in Tokyo."

Leya's eyebrows shot up, "Really? I thought all big cities had a night life."

Jade sighed, "Not this one."

"Okay… well, do you want to go clubbing tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll take you to one of the Karaoke Bars around here. They've got separate booths for private parties so you don't have to sing in front of strangers."

Leya grinned, "That sounds like fun! Say, we'll have to ask those two guys if they want to come."

"Whatever you say."

Leya cocked her head and peered closer at her best friend, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I've just got a lot on my mind right now." Jade turned to the door, "Let's go inside and get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Leya watched Jade walk slowly inside and disappear into her room. "There's definitely something going on around here and Riist doesn't like it one bit. I hope there's a way for me to help." She walked inside and went into her room.

The next day, Akira was up ealier than usual. He looked over at his clock and noticed that he still had half an hour or so before his alarm went off to get up. He sat up in bed anyways and began contemplating the existence of a creature that was neither human nor demon, nor even a devilman like him. The lycanthropist known as Riist was truly a wild spirit that owed allegiance to no one. He wasn't sure he was ready for such a neutral power to join this fight between Hell and Earth.

Ryo definitely did not believe that she was worthy of their time or cause. But then again, Akira found, if it was female then Ryo had no confidence in its integrity. The most powerful creature in the world could claim their cause and Ryo would scorn it if it was female. He didn't know why Ryo didn't like the opposite sex; he just didn't. He wasn't homosexual either; at least Akira hoped his best friend hadn't become homosexual in the time that they were apart. He wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Akira sighed and looked over at his clock, trying to will the time to go faster so that he could return to the comfort of his school routine. As the clock hit the alarm time, he waited for it to go off. A full minute passed before he realized that it was the weekend and he didn't have to go to school today. He sighed and flopped back into bed to return to sleep.

A knock resounded on the door to his room and he sat up. "Who is it?" he called.

"It's Miki. Let me in."

"One sec." He called to the closed door. He grabbed a muscle shirt off his chair and slipped it on as he walked to his door. He opened it and let Miki in.

"Akira… I wanted to ask you about something…" she began as she sat down on his bed.

He sat down beside her, "What is it?"

"…Um…" she shifted nervously beside him, and then looked up at him, "Why have you been hanging around Ryo so much?" she finally blurted.

Akira blinked in surprise.

"I know he's your best friend from your old school and all; but I'm your girlfriend and you seem to enjoy his company more than mine." She said in a rush.

Akira studied her downcast face a moment, and then chuckled softly, "Is that what's been bothering you?"

She nodded a little and looked at him.

"Ryo and I have been working on… a project lately. That's the only reason that we've been hanging out with each other so much. You needn't worry about it. How about this, we'll go out somewhere today; just you and me."

"A date?" Miki asked timidly.

Akira put his arm around her, "Yeah, a date."

"For the whole day?" Miki asked more enthusiastically.

"Sure." Akira answered with a grin. _Ryo is gonna_ kill _me_, he thought to himself.

Miki bounced up off the bed and kissed Akira on the cheek, "I feel better now that we've talked. Thank you Akira." She walked out of the room mumbling to herself about what she should wear to wherever they were going to that day.

Akira smiled to himself, _Whatever Ryo does to me for this, it'll be worth it._

"Jade! Time to wake up!"

Jade moaned quietly in her bed and stuffed her head under a pillow. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the noise of the pounding door from entering her ears. She growled under her pillow and threw a blanket over it for extra smothering.

"JADE COME OUT NOW OR I'LL GET KILLER TO BREAK DOWN YOUR DOOR!"

Jade threw the blanket and pillow off her face and glared at the door, "I'M NOT COMING OUT UNTIL I HAVE AT LEAST EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP. SO BUZZ OFF UNTIL ELEVEN O'CLOCK!!" She hollered at the door, throwing a large stuffed bear at it.

It made a soft thump and landed face down on the floor. She heard a small noise behind the door and then a more timid, "But it's already a quarter 'til eleven."

"No buts!" She growled. She flipped onto her side and lay back down on her bed.

Fifteen minutes later, a more respectful knock resounded on her door, "…Riist? It's eleven o'clock. Can we go out for breakfast and see that Karaoke Bar now?"

Jade sighed, the only time Leya used her other name was when she was intimidated. "Let me get dressed and we'll go out for breakfast, okay?"

"… Okay." She heard Leya move away from the door.

She sat up and went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of flared designer jeans, a black spaghetti strap, and a tan flannel with a silver dragon on the back. From her closet, she dug out a cloth belt that hung off her waist like a sash and a pair of tennis shoes. Her senior key from America hung on her mirror and she put it on. As she finished dressing, she looked in the mirror to see what she looked like. She nodded to herself and grabbed up her brush to pull her hair back into a braid. This last touch was finished off with a tan sparkle thread hair tie.

She opened the door and walked into the front room. Leya looked up at her and gave a low whistle, "Looking good, Jade." 

Jade grinned, "Thanks." She grabbed her purse off the table and turned to Leya, "Coming?"

"Yeah, one sec." Leya grabbed a small knap sack and slung it over her shoulder, "Ready whenever you are."

"Okay, lets go." They left the apartment and went down to Jade's car.

"Where to first?" Jade asked as she plopped down in the driver's seat and closed the door.

"Hmm…" Leya thought for a moment, "Breakfast." She announced with a decisive nod.

"Alrighty, then on to Karaoke?"

"Yup!"

Jade grinned and started the car. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove down to a small hole in the wall café just across from the college. "So, what do you want for breakfast?"

Leya shrugged, "Dunno, something good that isn't sushi. Sushi isn't exactly breakfast material after all."

"Oh, don't worry; this place has a variety of overseas and traditional Japanese breakfast stuff. You can choose and pick what you want." Jade hopped out of the car, "C'mon, breakfast is only served until noon."

They went in and ordered a light breakfast and chatted about old times while they ate. Half an hour later, they sat back and relaxed.

"That was delish." Leya commented, taking a sip from her iced tea.

"That's why I picked this place; besides the fact that it's just down the street from that Karaoke bar." Jade said. She sat back and watched Leya finish her tea, "Ready to go do some karaoke now?" she asked.

Leya grinned, "You bet!"

Back at the Macaimura's residence…

"Miki, are you ready yet?" Akira called from outside of her room.

"Just a minute!" a muffled voice answered.

Akira sighed, trust a girl to take over an hour to get ready just to go out. He didn't understand why getting dressed and putting one's hair up would take up to two and a half hours. It took him half an hour to do the same things, give or take a few. He was just debating whether or not to go in and drag her out when Miki opened the door.

Akira rolled his eyes and sighed, "Finally. I thought you would _never_ come out." He grinned as Miki puffed up in indignation.

She tossed her hair, "Hmph, I don't take that long. I know some girls that take half a day to get ready for a date; so don't go telling me that I take too long to get ready, Akira Fudo!"

He chuckled, "Well, while you were getting ready, your family was eating breakfast. I haven't eaten yet because I was waiting on you. I don't know if Tarai decided to leave anything besides crumbs for us to eat." He held his hand out to her, "Shall we?"

She smiled mischievously and took his arm, "Let's."

They walked down the hall hand in hand to the kitchen to see what of the meal Miki's little brother was kind enough to leave them.

"Jaade…" Leya whined again for the third time that morning.

Jade sighed heavily and turned to her friend, "Whaat Leya."

"Are the songs in Japanese? I can't sing in Japanese. Hell, I can't even sing in Spanish and it's my second language!" Leya looked at Jade with her pathetic whipped puppy look.

Jade pursed her lips, "Why don't you put a song you know in and find out. I'm not going to tell you anything that you can find out for yourself."

Leya pouted, "Are you in a bad mood? I'm sorry…"

Jade sighed and smiled at Leya's mock sad puppy eyes. She shook her head, "I'm not in a bad mood; I'm just a little off today. Don't worry, I'll get better as the day progresses."

Leya instantly brightened, "Good." She grabbed the music book and began to rummage around in it for a song that she could sing. "Here we go!" she sang out, punching in the numbers for the song on the machine. She looked mischievously over at Jade, "Grab a mic, kitty cat; you're singing this one with me."

Jade grabbed the other mic, "I'm almost afraid to hear what you put in." she began as the intro for the song began. She listened for a moment and laughed, "I should have known you would put this in first."

Leya grinned and began to sing.

One minute I'm in Central Park   
Then I'm down on Delancey Street   
From the Bow'ry to St Marks   
There's a syncopated beat   
  
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo   
I'm streetwise   
I can improvise   
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo   
I'm streetsmart   
I've got New York City heart   
  
Why should I worry?   
Why should I care?   
I may not have a dime   
But I got street savoire faire   
Why should I worry?   
Why should I care?   
It's just bebopulation   
And I got street saviore faire   
  
The rhythm of the city   
But once you get it down   
Then you can own this town   
You can wear the crown   
  
Why should I worry?   
Why should I care?   
I may not have a dime   
But I got street savoire faire   
Why should I worry?   
Why should I care?   
It's just bebopulation   
And I got street saviore faire   
  
Ev'rything goes   
Ev'rything fits   
They love me at the Chelsea   
They adore me at the Ritz   
  
Why should I worry?   
Why should I care?   
And even when I cross that line   
I got street savoire faire

Jade and Leya began to laugh as the song ended. Jade looked appreciatively over at her best friend, "Thanks, I needed that."

Leya pretended to polish her nails on her shirt, "I know." She pushed the songbook towards Jade, "Your turn to pick a song now!"

"Alright… hm, let's see… how about this one?" Jade said as she punched in some numbers.

Leya looked at the title, "Good choice."

"Thanks." Jade said as she began to sing _One More Addiction_.

"Are you sure you want to go there today? It's a weekend and they're probably going to be really busy with all of the tourists." Akira explained to Miki, trying to talk her out of her decision.

"Yes I'm sure I want to go there. I haven't gone to sing in a long time. It'll be fun." She giggled and pulled him down the street towards the Karaoke bar.

"Hey Leya. I'll be back, 'kay?"

Leya paused in her singing, "Where're you going?"

Jade got up and grabbed her purse, "Break time." Was all she said. Leya nodded and went back to singing her song.

Jade opened the door of their booth and made her way to the restrooms. As she was passing the front desk, she noticed a familiar messy-haired teen standing beside a pretty young lady. She changed direction and made a beeline for the couple.

"Hey Akira! How are you?"

The young man looked behind him quickly in surprise, "Riist…? What are you doing here?" he asked as he turned to face her.

Jade rubbed the back of her head and sighed, "Leya wanted to go out on the town today so I steered her towards the Karaoke bar in order to keep her from offending anyone or causing a ruckus." She grinned and nodded at the girl, "So out on a date with your ladylove?"

Akira blushed and looked over at Miki, "Um, something like that… Riist, this is Miki Macaimura. Miki, meet Riist…" Akira looked apologetically at Jade. "I'm sorry, all the times we've spoken to each other and I never even got your full name."

"Jade Riist." She smiled and bowed to Miki, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Macaimura."

"A pleasure meeting you as well Miss Riist." Miki said with a return bow.

"Well, I was just coming over here to say hi and to see if you two wanted to join us in our booth. It's booth number 12. You can't miss it; it'll have the weird American girl dancing around with the microphone." Jade grinned.

Miki smiled in return, "That would be great. Thank you for the offer."

Jade waved it off, "Don't mention it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some pressing business to do in the restrooms." Jade replied as she walked off.

Miki turned to Akira after Jade disappeared into the restrooms. "So where did you two meet?"

Akira looked down at his girlfriend, "We met over by the college. She's a student there I believe. Don't worry, we only just met."

Miki began to walk towards the booth Jade pointed to, "Who said that I was worried? She's way too old for you anyway."

Akira sighed mournfully, "Why me?" he muttered under his breath as he followed her into the booth.

Author's notes: Phew… this chapter took a while. Sorry it took so long…

Oh! In case you're wondering, the first song that the girls sing is _Why should I worry_ from the Disney movie _Oliver and Company_ and the song _One More Addiction_ is actually sung by Natalie Imbruglia, one of my favorite singers ^_^.

Hopefully, things will get rolling in Chapter 5… but that also depends on what my muse has to say about this. ^_^;


	6. Chapter 5: Dancing with the Devil

In a small clearing in the woods beyond the park, a gathering was commencing. The shadows moved restlessly as a figure leapt nimbly onto a boulder set conveniently in the center. The figure looked around at the gathered creatures and then began to speak.

"My servants. You have come here at my bidding to grab a prize that is very close to being ours."

The creatures looked to one another in puzzlement.

"I speak of the Dark Lord Satan."

A spark of interest began among them and they began to listen more carefully.

"Even now this awesome power hides himself within the pathetic human city of Tokyo. I know where and I know who protects him. The one that calls himself Devilman," the demons began to growl menacingly, "unknowingly protects the cause of his destruction. I know how we may turn this unwitting loyalty against Satan and bring him to our mercy."

The demons roared with triumph. One stepped slowly into the sunlit clearing, "Tell us how! I want vengeance against the one who was once our most powerful ally!" It hissed, slapping its tails against a tree and shattering the trunk. The other demons growled an agreement.

The figure raised his hands high in the air and they instantly quieted. "I understand your resentment for this traitorous Brother. I shall tell you how to get your vengeance against him in due time. We must wait until Satan has fully recovered the memories that were buried within his mind after he fell."

The crowd began to murmur in outrage.

"The only thing we can do at this time is increase our hold on the city and force Satan to remember himself. It has started already and it is only a matter of time until he is ripe for the taking."

They began the cheer wildly with their strange voices and howl approval. Once more the figure silenced with a hand.

"I want all of you with shapeshifting qualities and power over the elements to increase your attacks on the city tonight. All those with power of physical strength, hold back until the Devilman comes out of hiding and then attack his home. We shall run the hybrid ragged until Satan emerges on his own. Until then, keep hidden from human eyes. Now go."

They slowly faded into the woods and then disappeared from view and hearing altogether. The figure on the rock smiled triumphantly and sat down. "The beginning of the End starts tonight. Beware Satan; soon you shall be within my grasp." He laughed and spread his wings Heavenward as the sky began to darken.

Ryo stared moodily out his apartment window as the rain poured down and cleansed the city of pollution. He knew that Akira was out there at this very moment with his girlfriend Miki, trying to make up for lost time. He knew this because Akira had called his apartment to tell him. Ryo had been out shopping at the time so had missed his call.

If it weren't for Miki, Akira would be more amenable to helping purge the demons from the city. As things stood, the demons were starting to get a tighter hold on the city and Akira didn't seem to care. Ryo sighed and began wandering around the room, picking up a gun here, a knife there. He finally sat down and turned on the news to see if there had been any strange sightings or disappearances.

He was in luck as there was a sighting of a large golden red figure flying over the park earlier in the day and then the storm had begun. An unnatural storm that had nearly struck and killed several people with its lightning; made all the more dangerous because there was no thunder to warn the wary after.

Ryo grabbed his coat and gun and made his way out the door after double-checking his information.

"…Jade?" Leya asked as her best friend trailed off from the song and cocked her head. She looked across the table at Akira's similar pose. Miki was looking at the two in confusion.

"Akira what's wron-" she began. Akira quickly silenced her. Everyone was silent for a long moment. Suddenly, both Akira and Jade's eyes widened.

"Everyone get down!" They shouted; Akira dragged Miki under the table with him as the ceiling collapsed without warning. There was a scream as the building around them began to shake and tremble.

As soon as it started, it was done. A large pile of rubble and a cloud of plaster lay on the floor where once there was a small stage and a karaoke machine. One large piece of the ceiling began to move and slowly turned over to reveal Akira and the two girls. Akira coughed a little as plaster dust went down his throat.

"Riist?" he called. Silence. "Riist!" he called out louder. Still there was no answer. "RIIST ANSWER ME!" he yelled out to the ruined room. A slight noise came from the largest pile of rubble. He crawled out from under the table and ran over to pull the ceiling pieces away from a partially buried claw. With a little digging, a furry body was revealed and Riist coughed. Akira cradled the lycanthrope in his arms and covered her with his jacket. "Are you alright?" he asked urgently.

Riist slowly opened one eye, "I think so… How are the others?" she tried to move and winced, clutching her side. Akira pulled back her hand to see a little bit of blood on the mottled tawny fur.

"They're unconscious but fine. You, on the other hand, seem to have cracked a few ribs and," he pulled a piece of metal from the spot on her side, making her gasp, "turned yourself into a living dart board." He tossed it away.

"I'll be fine; it will heal quickly." She tried pushing him away and standing. Dizziness hit her and she collapsed back into his arms.

He looked down at her worriedly, "You shouldn't have done that. You need to relax."

"I can't be here in this form when they wake up… Too many questions will arise from it. Can you take me to my car?" she looked up at him imploringly.

Akira sighed and looked over at the other girls who were still unconscious. He looked back down at Riist, "Alright; but only if you don't try to drive home in the condition that you're in." Riist nodded slowly.

Akira picked her up and carried her over to the ruined doorway and out to the hall. What greeted him there was pure chaos.

Demons had come into the building and begun to slaughter the people inside. One looked up from its feeding and growled at him. Akira slowly backed back into their room and set Riist down with the other girls. He turned back to the doorway where the demon was now standing.

"Akira, don't-" Riist tried to get up from her position. She hissed in frustration as her battered body refused to obey her and she landed back where she was set.

Akira looked back at Riist and smiled, "Don't worry, I can take care of these vermin." He turned back to the demon as it growled out his name. Akira smirked, "Well, what are you waiting for beast, come at me."

It howled and charged into the room. Akira met it halfway in and took its head off with one sweep of his arm. More demons came filing in after that and each one met with a grisly demise. Nearly two hours later, the two girls woke up in Riist's living room.

"What happened?" Leya asked Akira groggily, "Where's Jade? And how did we get here?"

Akira vacated his seat and began to pace. "Jade is in her room recuperating from the accident. You and Miki were safe under the table… but Jade got caught in the middle of the room when the ceiling collapsed."

Leya gasped, "Oh no." she got up and went to run to her best friend's room. Akira stopped her. "Let go! I've got to see Jade! I need to know that she is alright!"

"Jade is fine Leya; she's lucky, she only cracked a few ribs. Right now, she needs to rest. We only just got you two back here from the Karaoke Bar."

Leya turned to Akira, "Only just? How long have we been out?"

Miki groaned and sat up. "Akira? Where are we?"

They turned to her, "We're at Jade's apartment. It was the closest place we could go to after the accident."

"Accident? What accident?"

Leya stared at her in disbelief, "You're kidding right? The one where we almost got buried under a pile of rubble, that's what accident!"

"What are you talking about? All I remember was the earthquake."

Akira looked between them both and finally rested his eyes on Leya as he remembered something, "Hey, wait a moment; since when did you speak Japanese?"

"Japanese? Never. I thought you guys were speaking English!"

Akira stopped pacing to study her. He grunted and went back to pacing, "Nothing is making sense anymore…" he muttered to himself.

Miki cocked her head, "Akira? What's wrong?"

He sat down and smiled reassuringly at his girlfriend, "Nothing; I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

Just then the phone rang. Everyone jumped and stared at it in surprise. Akira went to pick it up but Leya grabbed his hand.

"No one knows we're here; let the answering machine get it." She said urgently. He nodded and left the receiver where it was.

"_Hi, you've reached the residence of Jade Riist. Obviously, I can't come to the phone right now so if you'll leave your name and number I'll think about getting back to you. Ciao!_"Beep.

"_Akira, I know you're there. Pick up the phone; I have something urgent to tell you about Azieral…_"

Akira quickly picked up the phone, "Ryo? How did you know I was here?"

"_That's not important right now. I found that supposed angel of yours. He was the one who made the Karaoke Bar collapse on your friend. He's trying to draw you two out for some reason… I think I found what he's after here in Japan; and your careless feline lead him right to it!_"

Akira's eyes widened, "You can't be serious! Jade would never do something like that! She's our ally in this fight."

"_I didn't say that she did it on purpose. As far as I can tell, she's a pawn in a much larger game and she's dragged everyone into it…_" Ryo sighed, "_I'm not entirely sure why, but I think Azieral is after me…_"

"After you? Why do you think that?" Akira asked curiously.

"_…Because I met him, Akira. I found out where he was and I went out to meet him._" Ryo gave a half-hearted chuckle, "_He seemed a little surprised to see me. _"

"Well, did he say anything to you?"

"_No, beyond the general' surprised to see me there' speech. After he was done speaking, he had one of the demons in the clearing escort me back the way I had come._"

"… So what do you want to do now?" Akira knew that Ryo was hiding something, but decided to leave it be. Ryo would tell him if it was important; he trusted him that much at least.

"_Tell Riist that you can't help her and you don't want her help. I want that cat away from here as soon as possible._"

Akira scowled at the phone, "Why should I? She could be one of the best allies we could have in this."

"_I don't care what you think; I want her gone. Tell her we'll take care of Azieral and to go back to America._"

"Akira, what's wrong?" Miki asked, coming up behind him and draping her arms around his neck.

Akira looked back at her and then at Leya, "Nothing's wrong; Ryo and I are just having a slight misunderstanding." He kissed Miki's hand and pulled her arms off of him. "Why don't you and Leya go get something to eat for Jade. I'm sure she's very hungry right now."

"Okay… you'll tell me if anything is wrong; won't you Akira?" Miki asked in a small voice.

Akira smiled, "Of course, Miki." He ignored Ryo's snort of derision.

Miki smiled and gave him a small kiss on the cheek and she and Leya went into the kitchen to see what there was to eat.

Akira sighed and went back to the phone, "Why do you want Jade to leave so much? She never did anything as far as I know to get on you're nerves; beyond the basic female attitude. Nor has she tried to destroy our plans. So why is it so urgent that she leave Japan?"

"_Because she's the catalyst for whatever is going on here. Were it not for her presence, Azieral would not have found what he was looking for and we could safely go on with our plans to destroy the demons around Tokyo. Don't argue with me, Akira; just do as I say._" Akira heard a click over the line and then the busy signal began. He sighed in frustration and put the phone back on the cradle. Something strange was going on and Ryo, not Jade, was at the center of it all.

"Akira…" A quiet, pain-filled voice called from the hall. Jade slowly made her way along the wall to where he stood. She sat down and looked at him, "That was Ryo, wasn't it?"

He glanced at her and nodded once. Then, his mother hen instincts kicked in, "You shouldn't be up; you should still be in bed. Even I can't heal that quickly from cracked bones and puncture wounds and those were deep." He sat down and examined the wounds, looking up disapprovingly when she hissed with pain at his mere touch. When he lifted her shirt up over her belly, he saw that the hole in her side had shrunk but was still a deep purple color around the area. "We should have wrapped it up instead of just cleaned it. Where do you keep your bandages at?" 

She was looking distractedly at the hole and he had to snap his fingers a couple times to get her attention, "Hmm? Oh! Bandages; I usually keep some gauze in the closet by the bathroom. I haven't needed to use it yet; but now is as good a time as any."

Akira went down the hall and grabbed the gauze and, as an afterthought, the small tube of antibiotic gel. He came back and wrapped her up quickly before the other girls could come back in. "There. That should hold for a while."

Jade was silent through all of this and winced only when he made sure the bandage was tight. She cocked her head as she heard the girls talking in the kitchen, "Unless I'm mistaken, it sounds as if both of those girls are speaking Japanese… When did this happen?" she looked at Akira.

"I was hoping you could tell me that. I've never heard of anything like this happening before. Are you sure that she's completely human? She could be a lycanthrope like you, couldn't she?"

"…No, that wouldn't be possible. I've run into humans with a few drops of lycanthrope blood and knew by their smell what they were. She smells as human as Miki and then some." Jade became thoughtful, "If anything, she might have some psychic abilities; but that wouldn't explain the sudden ability to speak Japanese…"

"Maybe something gave her the ability to speak my language. Although, I wouldn't know why it should-"

"Jade? What are you doing up? Akira said you had been hurt pretty badly; you should still be in bed recuperating." Leya came out of the kitchen with a bowl of ramen and scolded her. She handed the bowl to her best friend. "Well, since you're up, eat this. It will help you get stronger."

Jade looked skeptically at the bowl of ramen. She raised an eyebrow, "You're kidding right? I'd get more strength from a sandwich than this stuff." She made the noodles plop back into the bowl with a small splash.

Leya wiped her face off with her sleeve, a sour look on her face, "That's the only thing I knew how to make in your kitchen. Anyways, that's just the appetizer; Miki is whipping up something in the kitchen for you since she can read the _Japanese_ instructions. I would have helped her but she shooed me out. So I made some ramen for you and brought it out here where I heard your voice." She pushed the bowl closer to Jade, "Now eat it."

Jade grinned and gave her a mock salute. "Yes ma'am." She began to eat the ramen slowly.

Azieral giggled a little at the trick he had played on his pet lycanthrope. It was easy to plant the ability to speak Japanese into the human, plus it was so much fun to watch as they all became confused with his little joke. The ability would wear off sooner or later; but for right now, it was interesting to watch the little American interact with the others.

His mood darkened as he thought back to his earlier encounter with the human boy; no, not just a human boy, Satan. Satan had surprised him by his boldness while he sat in his clearing ordering the demons about.

"Azieral." A light, husky male voice intruded into the clearing. 

Azieral stood and flared his wings out in surprise. "Who is there?" he called, sensing that whoever it was, was like and yet not like him.

_A human boy with short platinum blonde hair walked out of the woods. Azieral at first was surprised to see that the demons left him alone; but then he realized what lay beneath the human skin. Azieral smiled seductively, "Satan…" he purred._

_The human who was Satan started and lost some of his composure. "…What are you talking about?" Secretly he was frightened that the fiery angel before him had called the name that was in his dreams._

_Azieral's smiled turned into a grin, "Ahh, I see you have forgotten yourself. Perhaps, I should call you by your human name, my comrade. If you would be so kind as to lend it to me." He rearranged his wings and sat back down on the boulder expectantly._

_The human scowled, "Ryo is my name. I know nothing of this Satan that you speak of; beyond the fact that he was the angel that led the invasion against God." Ryo fiddled with his shotgun beneath his coat._

_"Alright, Ryo. I merely speak the truth about yourself. For, as you well know, angels cannot lie. And if we tried, we would be terrible at it."_

_Ryo gave a harsh bark of laughter, "Perhaps a real angel cannot lie; you, however, have been in the Mortal world for too long and have learned deception. You are no true angel anymore if ever you were an angel to begin with."_

_Azieral scowled angrily, "Satan you may be in spirit; but you are no match for me, youth. I can crush you here and now if I wished it."_

_"Somehow, I don't believe you. If you were as powerful as you say, then you would have killed me before I came this far." Ryo crossed his arms, "Now then, down to business. You are here for a reason and have brought a lycanthrope to Tokyo. Why?"_

_Azieral rolled onto his stomach and propped his head on his hands. "Oh, I don't know; you're the all powerful, all seeing one here. You tell me." He smiled._

_"Hmph." Ryo grunted and slung his shotgun over his shoulder. "Cut the crap, Azieral. You know just as well as I that the one behind all of this chaos is you. Now you can tell me now, or I bring Akira here to change your mind."_

_Azieral rolled onto his back and put a hand behind his head, leaving one to emphasize his words, "Ah yes, the hybrid. Where did you get him, I wonder? And how did you get Amon to take the bait? Questions upon questions. None to be answered I'm afraid. You also know as well as I that both of our games would be ruined if you found out what I was doing and I found out what you were doing here." He tilted his head to smirk at Ryo. "No, I believe I will wait to see you're next move, Satan, for you have backed me into a corner by pitting your pet against me. Ciao!" with that he sprung into the air and flew off, making sure the demons remaining below gave Ryo a hard time, but did not kill him._

"You may have ruined this little game, but in the end, I shall have the power of the Dark Lord!" Azieral laughed and once again flew off into the night.


End file.
